Dubai

Dubai Investor Visa

Located in the Arabian Peninsula, the United Arab Emirates is an Arab nation that is bordered by Qatar, Oman, Iran, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia. The UAE is composed of seven principalities (called emirates) and Islam is the country’s official religion and Arabic is the country’s official language (though English, Persian, Hindu, and Urdu area also widely spoken).

The UAE is one of the richest countries in the world. Its economy rests on its huge oil reserves which are the seventh largest in the world. Moreover, the country is also sitting on the seventeenth larges natural gas reserves in the world. Dubai is the UAE’s most populated city and has become a major and thriving metropolis. As a global city, Dubai is a very popular tourist attraction. It houses the first indoor ski slope in the Middle East, several five-star restaurants, and several of the world’s most famous hotels.

Due to the successful economy of the UAE and the opportunistic location of Dubai, many foreign nationals are interested in relocating to Dubai in order to pursue investment opportunities. To accommodate and encourage foreign investment, Dubai has recently adopted an investment driven immigration program that provides a visa to foreign investors.

Dubai’s Investor Visa Program

Dubai’s investor visa program is relatively new as it was only just established in 2012. The visa, which will be valid for two years, will be granted to foreign nationals who own property in Dubai that is valued at more than 1,000,000Dh and that is unencumbered by a mortgage.

To prove that the investor qualifies for the visa, the foreign national submit a copy of the deed and a copy of the national’s passport to the Dubai Land Department. After reviewing the copies, the Dubai Land Department will then issue an approval certificate to the investor. The investor then takes the certificate to the Dubai Department of Economic Development. That Department gives the investor a trade license. Upon receiving the trade license, the investor can go to the Immigration Counters in the Land Department and obtain the two-year investor visa.

It is important to point out that while the Dubai investor visa is a great opportunity for foreign nationals, the visa does not lead to or result in UAE citizenship. Becoming a UAE citizen as a foreign national (through a legal process called naturalization), is very difficult and usually only an option if the foreign national marries a UAE citizen, or if the national’s father had UAE citizenship.

Additional Information About Coming to the United Arab Emirates

It is important to emphasize that the United Arab Emirates is governed by strict Islamic laws that require women in particular to observe a certain level of modesty, and require all visitors and residents to observe laws and regulations that respect the country’s religious values and traditions. For example, the nation enforces very strict laws against the practice of homosexuality.

Additionally, the UAE weekend is Friday to Saturday. Moreover, there are no street addresses in Dubai as residents utilize assigned Post Office boxes to receive their mail.

These laws, codes of conduct, and standards of dress in the UAE may be very different than that which are observed in the investor’s home country, so it is very important for investors to consult attorneys who can advise them on how to observe the country’s laws.